Wire-fence-stay fastener.



No. 732,190. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903. G. KANAVEL.

WIRE FENCE STAY FASTENER.

APPLICATION rum) SEPT. 25, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNTTED STATES PATENT Patented June 30, 1903.

OFFICE.

CHARLES KANAVEL, OF BARBERTON, OHIO.

WIRE-FENCE-STAY FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,190, dated June30,1903. Application filed $epten1ber 25, 1902\ Serial No. 124,881. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES KANAVEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Barberton, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Wire- Fence-Stay Fastener,'of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to wire fences, more tudinal strand-wires spacedapart and connected at suitable intervals to vertical posts or othersupports and also provided at suitable intervals between the posts withvertical stay-wires, generally of the same gage as the strand-wires, andhas for its object the production of a simply-constructed lockingclipadapted to be forcibly engaged to the strand and stay wires at theirintersecting points; and the invention consists in a locking-clip of asubstantially U shape and adapted to be attached to the fence with thelooped portion of the clip engaging the strand-wire in alinement withthe stay-wire and with theextremities of the clip reduced and bent intoengagement with the stay-wire and also with the body of the clip.

The invention further consists in a lockingclip of substantially U shapehaving reduced extremities and adapted to embrace the strand-wire by itslooped end opposite the stay-wire and be compressed thereon withsufficient force to cause the clip to indent the strand-wire and withthe leg members bent around the stay-wire with sufficient force to causethe leg members to indent the staywire and with the reduced extremitiesin engagement with the body of the clip adjacent to the strand-wire.

Other novel features of the invention will be disclosed in the annexeddescription and a be specified in the claim following.

In'the drawings illustrative of the invention, Figure 1 is a front view,Fig. 2 is a plan view, Fig. 3 is a side view, and Fig.4 is a rear View,of a section of a strand-wire and a section of a stay-wire with theimproved lockingclip applied thereto. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detachedview of the clip before it is bent into position upon the fence.

The strand-wires are indicated at 10, and the stay-wires at 11, crossingeach other at right angles, as shown.

tightly stretched and connected to supporting-posts at suitableintervals in the ordinary manner. The stay-wires will be disposed atsuitable intervals between the posts or other supports. particularly tothat class formed with longi- The supporting-posts and the plurality ofstrand-wires and stay-wires are not shown in the drawings, as they formno part of the present invention.' Any required number of thestrand-wires and stay-wires may be employed and varied both as to numberand distance apart. I do not, therefore, wish to be limited in anymanner to the size of the wire employed or to the number of the strandor stay wires. v

The improvement which is the subject of the present application consistsin a device for locking the strand and stay wires at theirintersections, and one of these improved de- Jvices is illustrated inFig. 5 disconnected from the fence and isin the form of a U- shaped clipwith spaced side members 12 13,-

the curved connecting portion 14, and with the reduced extremities 1516.

In applying the improved device the looped portion 14 of the clip isplaced upon the strand-wire opposite the point where it crosses thestay-wire, so that three portions 1O 11 14 will be arranged intransverse aline ment. The leg members 12 13 will then be 'bent aroundthe stay-wire upon opposite sides of the strand-wire and in closeproximity there to and the reduced ends 15 16 brought into contact withthe body portion of the clip close to the strand-wire, so that the clipmember firmly embraces and connects the strand and stay wires at theirintersecting points. Any suitableimplement may be employed for thusforcibly bending the clip around the strand and stay wires; but as suchimplements are in common use and form no part of the pres ent inventionthey are not illustrated, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited tothe employment of any particular tool or implement for bending theclips.

The implement employed for bending the clips will possess sufficientforce to cause them to indent the strand-wires and staywires where theclips come in contact therewith, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, so thatwhen the parts are connected they will be held relatively immovable andeffectually prevented from all play and lateral movement. This is animportant feature of the invention and adds materially to the efficiencyof the lock between the parts, as a joint is thereby formed which veryfirmly supports the strand-wire upon the stay-wire and likewise supportsthe stay-wire upon the strand-wire and effectually prevents any relativemovement between them either laterally or vertically.

The arrangement whereby the looped portion 14 of the clip comes in thetransverse plane of the strand-wires and stay-wires at theircrossing-points, together with the leg members 13 12, bent into closeengagement with the strand and stay wires, and the reduced ends 15 16,carried around and forcibly engaged with-the body of the clip in closeproximity to and upon opposite sides of the strand-wire, is also a veryimportant feature of the invention, as the lock between the parts isthereby greatly strengthened and stiffened and all danger of lateral orvertical movement efiectually prevented. I

In fences and similar structures of the character to which the presentinvention is applicable the strand-Wires aremore liable to displacementthan the stay-wires, as ani mals or persons in attempting to pass thefence naturally exert their force to distend or break down thestrand-wires in preference to moving the stay-wires.

The lateral movement of the stay-wires to a limited extent will notaffect the-integrity of the fence, whereas even a very slight move? mentof the strand-wires relative to the staywires might be a very seriousmatter, especially in fences forming inclosuresfor small animals.Theimportance,therefore,offirmly sustaining and supporting thestrand-wires from movement relative. to the stay-wires is apparent.

In the present improved device it will be noted that the stay-wires areengaged at two points by the spaced leg members 12 13-01 the clips, sothat the grip of the clips upon the stay-wires is just double the gripof the same upon the strand-wires. Hence the tendency of the movement ofthe strand-wires upon the staywires is resisted much more strongly thanthe tendency of movement of the stay-wires upon the strand-wires. The

strand-wires will thus be enabled to successfully resist any tendency tomovement upon the stay-wires, while at the same time the stay-wires willbe supported with ample force and enabled to resist any pressure towhich they will be subjected. By this simple arrangement, therefore, thegrip or pressure of the locking-clip is so distributed as to offer thegreatest resistance at points where most required and where the greateststrains are liable to occur. It will also be noted that the grip membersare formed from comparatively short sections of wire, thereby reducingthe expense in that particular.

The clip members will preferably be of harder metal than the strand andstaywires, such as comparatively hard steel, so thatthey will form theindentations required in the strand and stay wires when compressedthereon, as above described.

The clip members may be constructed very cheaply and manufacturedentirely by machinery, thus reducing the expense and labor required toproduce them.

The improved device may be applied to any of the various forms offenceand similar structures wherein wires are employed transversely disposedand will be found very useful and efficient for the purposes enumerated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1 looped end ofthe clip to prevent accidental deflection and displacement of said freeend.

In testimony that I- claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

- CHARLES KANAVEL.

Witnesses:

CHAS. AMMERMAN, H. HERMAN.

